Five who participated in assault incident enter pleas

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

By DEN MCLAUGHLIN dmclaughlin@tnonline.com

Five persons who were involved in a confrontation at a Carbon County development that resulted in assaults and damages to property, entered guilty pleas Tuesday in Carbon County court. The five appeared before President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II.

Pleading guilty to various criminal counts were the following:

Cole Kerschner, 20, of Lehighton, who pleaded to one each each of criminal conspiracy to committ simple assault, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct and four counts of harassment.

Corey G. Kerschner, 41, of Lehighton, pleaded to one count each of roit (a felony three), criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and four counts of harassment.

Todd Kerschner, 42, of Lehighton, pleaded to one count each of riot (felony three), simple assault, disorderly conduct and four counts of harassment.

Robert Mack, 40, of Slatedale, pleaded to one count each of criminal conspiracy-criminal mischief and disorderly conduct and four counts of harassment.

Dylan Smith, 21, of Lehighton, pleaded to one count each of criminal conspiracy-simple assault, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct and four counts of harassment.

Nanovic accepted the pleas and deferred sentencing and ordered the adult probation office to prepare a presentence investigation (PSI) report on each defendant.

The incident occurred on July 14, 2010, in the Mt. Pocohontas development in Penn Forest Township.

State police at Fern Ridge responded to the intersection of Meckesville and Old Stage roads for a report of a large fight in progress. Upon arrival troopers found an estimated 20 to 25 people milling around and involved in a physical confrontation. Also found was a damaged vehicle.

One juvenile and at least one adult were assaulted and others threatened with assault, troopers said.

Troopers reported that their investigation revealed that the incident stemmed from an earlier assault incident that took place in Lehighton and involved a relative of one of the Kerschner's being assaulted. This led to a confrontation at the Penn Forest Township site, troopers said.

Troopers said baseball bats and other items were used to damage a vehicle and make threats to individuals, some of whom required medical attention.